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Monday, May 16, 2011

In addition to 40 new parking meters to be installed in City squares as part of a pilot program, Mayor Curtatone and the Traffic and Parking Department announced this week that new, multi-spaced parking meter kiosks are being installed in five municipal lots – Buena Vista, Day Street, Rite Aid, Magoun Square and Union Square – serving more than 200 metered parking spaces across the City. The kiosks will accept credit cards for the first time. Hours of operation (8am – 8pm) and rates (25 cents per 15 minutes) will remain unchanged. The new parking kiosks will accept quarters, $1 coins, MasterCard and Visa. A plan to incorporate the use of the City’s “Park Card,” technology is forthcoming.

“We have worked diligently over the last year to incorporate sweeping changes to both the customer service and technological operations related to Traffic and Parking and resident satisfaction, and these kiosks are the latest example of how we have been and will continue to make improvements for the quality of life of our community members and businesses,” Mayor Curtatone said.

“As we identify new and improved ways to serve the Somerville community, we hope that these upgrades will increase customer satisfaction,” said Matt Dias, Director of Traffic and Parking. “The configuration is a ‘pay-by-space’ model, which we are testing to hopefully provide drivers the added convenience of not having to return to the vehicle and put a receipt on the dashboard, as they do in many other cities and towns. Over the next few weeks, we are eager to receive feedback on the kiosks themselves, the multiple payment options they provide, and the pay-by-space configuration we have chosen.”

Conveniently, the kiosks also offer the ability to prepay for a parking space by half an hour in the morning, giving drivers the opportunity to park at a meter at 7:30 a.m. without having to return to the space at 8:00 to feed a meter. Parking Control Officers will be stationed at each lot during the first few days to act as parking ambassadors and assist with customer questions or feedback.

For additional information on the City’s Traffic and Parking Department, please visit www.parksomerville.com, or call 311.